


A Difficult Endeavor

by closetcellist, DelusionsbyBonnie



Series: Werewolf AU [3]
Category: Battle for London in the Air (Roleplay)
Genre: M/M, Parasol Protectorate AU, werewolf!Andrew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/closetcellist/pseuds/closetcellist, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelusionsbyBonnie/pseuds/DelusionsbyBonnie
Summary: The Pack can't stay in England, but Dr Jhandir can't just let Andrew leave him behind. It's a mess, but he's got to pack up and move.
Relationships: Dr Anil Jhandir/Andrew O'Rourke
Series: Werewolf AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/826248
Kudos: 1





	A Difficult Endeavor

**Author's Note:**

> Occurs between The Colonized Confederation and The Metaphysical Accord

Liam’s canines seem to have been permanently lengthened and sharpened by the time Dr Jhandir’s affairs were in order to his satisfaction. Kelly had taken on all communication between the two men, as this was the situation least likely to lead to a shouting match and a distraught Andrew. O’Toole had remained in wolf form, skulking around the house to be discovered in odd corners, often with the ruins of some belonging of the doctor’s clenched in his jaws.

“Damn it, man, you can’t keep eating Doc’s shoes!” Andrew tried to wrestle the soggy leather from O’Toole’s grip, but the wolf snarled and refused to relinquish it.

“Leave it, Andrew, it’s ruined anyway,” Liam barked. “Kelly, tell the doctor he needs to buy a ticket. The paper says there’s a boat leaving at six tomorrow evening, and we’re going to be on it.”

O’Toole’s ears pricked up at the news of leaving England, and Andrew dropped the shoe. “I’ll tell Doc,” he volunteered.

“No, you’re going to buy tickets. You know your way around better than the rest of us. Four tickets for steerage.”

“I don’t think Doc is going to want to ride in steerage,” Andrew offered.

“That’s not my concern. Kelly, if you would?”

Kelly neatly folded the newspaper to highlight the steamer timetable. “I think it would be best if we all bought tickets at the same time. I’d like to make sure the doctor isn’t wandering around Dublin by himself hunting for werewolves that shouldn’t exist. Andrew, if you’d come with me?”

Andrew glanced at his brother for permission, and Liam sighed and waved dismissively. “Fine, fine, so long as the four of us are on that boat.”

“Of course all four of us will be on the boat,” Dr Jhandir said, catching the tail end of the conversation as he entered the parlor, though his gaze wasn’t on Liam, but rather running distractedly across the room, taking in the house as it was now--most of his things boxed up, the previously well-appointed rooms looking somehow both terribly empty and uncomfortably cramped at the same time with the state they were in. In all honesty, they likely could have left days ago, but the doctor was certain  _ something _ hadn’t been packed, or hadn’t been packed properly (and, though he wouldn’t admit it even to Andrew, he was feeling a bit nervous and a bit sentimental about the home he’d spent so long creating).

When he gaze fell upon O’Toole, the thing still in the wolf form he refused to leave with  _ another _ of Dr Jhandir’s things in his jaws, his expression slipped into one of resigned irritation, though he’d had enough fights by now with Liam about the beast to know he wouldn’t make any new ground there now. “And I can buy my own ticket.”

O’Toole rumbled a perfunctory growl at the doctor. “Five of us,” Kelly said breezily. “O’Toole, no wolves on the boat. No, no, it’s no good complaining. You’ve had a fine run of it here while the doctor packs up.” He handed Andrew the neatly folded newspaper and a few pound notes. “Off you go, then, the two of you. I’ll mind the doctor’s things while you’re gone.”

Andrew looked relieved at the dismissal. Having Liam and Doc under the same roof had been a trial for everyone, but the strain had fallen mainly on Andrew, torn as he was between the two men. The prospect of an hour or so away from his overbearing Alpha was a blessing. He tucked the pound notes carefully into his waistcoat pocket and squinted at the newspaper. “Hibernean Ferries,” he read carefully. “There’s the address then. Doc? Shall we then?”

“Yes, I suppose it’s time,” Dr Jhandir said, resting his hand on the small of Andrew’s back for a moment, ostensibly to nudge him toward the door, but really this was just another shot in the subtle version of the war between the doctor and Liam over Andrew, which, if he’d noticed, Andrew had yet to say anything about.

Once out the door, stepping into the twilit street, they walked a respectable distance apart, strolling a block or two before Dr Jhandir flagged down an empty hansom to take them the rest of the way to the ferry offices.

Andrew let his hand brush the doctor’s as they sat side-by-side in the open carriage, enjoying the open air. “You’ll like Ireland, Doc. The air’s clearer out where we are, away from the middle of town, and the Liffey’s cleaner than the Thames. You can see stars. Christ, I’ll be glad to be home.” 

He grinned, feeling a weight lifted that he hadn’t realized was there. Once they were back on Irish soil and out from under the doctor’s roof, Liam would be more reasonable. Things would get easier. They had to.

Dr Jhandir hummed, his expression distant as he stared out over the London streets they passed. The word ‘town’ rather than ‘city’ hadn’t escaped his notice. “I’m not much of an astronomer,” he murmured. “How big is this...town, that we’ll be staying in?”

‘Staying’ rather than ‘living,’ but perhaps he’d get used to it. It wasn’t as though he’d change his mind, regardless, but perhaps it would be good use of his time on the trip over to prepare himself for what was coming. At the moment, in his mind, he envisioned green. Fields and fields of green, which wasn’t unappealing--certainly, he must be able to grow a rather better garden there--but the fiction was currently unpopulated with the kind of creature comforts to which he was accustomed.

Andrew noticed his lack of enthusiasm and pretended not to. “Oh, Dublin’s not so big as London, but it’s not so small as all that. It is where all the fancy Englishmen live, after all. It’s full of fine old townhouses and parks, and there’s the port, of course. There’s some fine linen and wool, and lace too if you want it. I don’t know much about tailors or furniture, but sure there has to be something. And there’s land to be had for a bloody huge garden if you want it. Maybe not in town, but not far either. There’s railways and airships too. It’s not London, but it’s not the edge of the world either.”

Was he talking too much? Too fast? Damn Liam for making enemies as easily as Kelly made friends. If Doc had more time to get used to the idea without a pack of wolves breathing down his neck and chewing up all his slippers… but no, Andrew’s life was always to be lived on Liam’s schedule. It was far too late to consider might-have-beens.

The green expanse in Dr Jhandir’s mind filled with something like a quarter-sized London. While that wasn’t ideal it was certainly better than shacks in muddy fields. His expression softened even as his posture remained as ramrod straight as always. “That is something,” he allowed. “I am certain I can make do. I have before.” In the back of his mind, ideas of improving the place started to take root even before he’d seen it, but he’d have to wait to see what he was working with before voicing anything of the sort.   
  
“I knew it was important to take clippings from my garden,” he said, picking up one of the threads of the various packing arguments he’d had with Liam, one that he had mostly won, though not without some concessions. 

“Sure!” Andrew said eagerly, grasping for the sliver of hope and giving the doctor's slim fingers a quick squeeze. “Maria O'Hanlon has a fine garden too. Maybe you can swap clippings, once you get settled.” Maria O'Hanlon was an odd bird, too, past thirty and unmarried, with no more interest in men than the doc had in women. She’d get on better with the doctor than Liam's collection of hungry idealists. 

“You won't have to live so close to the pack if you don't want,” he offered. “We'll keep O'Toole out of the… what are they called? The chlamydia?”

“ _ Cascabela _ ,” Dr Jhandir sighed. “ _ Cascabela thevetia _ . Chlamydia is a venereal disease. And I still don’t understand why I couldn’t take a blood sample after he ate them. It would have been incredibly informative.” Still, apparently even if the poisonous plant didn’t affect werewolves the way it might a human, it at least didn’t make the flowers particularly appetizing.

The hansom pulled to a stop near the address Andrew had provided, and Dr Jhandir handed over the fare to the driver before getting out and heading for the offices, assuming Andrew would be right behind him.

Andrew hopped out and followed. “‘Cause it would have taken all three of us to hold him down for you to draw it. O’Toole… he’s been through the mill, more than most, and there wasn’t much there to begin with. Anyway, you got a sample of… what came out, at least.” The adventure had ravaged one bush and left a dreadful stain on a hallway rug. It was difficult to argue that O’Toole had not done it out of spite. It wasn’t as if he ordinarily showed any interest in plants.

The ferry office was small, well-used but clean, with the sort of tarnished brasswork that gleamed brightly where countless bodies had rubbed against it. A pock-faced clerk blinked up at the pair, scrambling to his feet. “Good evening, sir,” he managed, making the snap decision to address the better-dressed doctor. “How may I be of assistance?”

“I need tickets for ferry heading to Ireland at six tomorrow evening,” Dr Jhandir said, looking distantly pleased that he didn’t have to put up a fight to get the respect he deserved. “Two first-class, three steerage, and room for cargo.”

“Two first-class… Doc!” Andrew protested softly, but the clerk was already busy with paperwork. “Liam will be furious.”

The clerk presented a sheaf of tickets, rattling off instructions on when passengers and cargo should be at the dock. Andrew hoped the doctor had paid attention, because his head was still spinning with the implications. Kelly would have a hell of a time smoothing this over. At least Liam would have a human-shaped O'Toole to wrangle once they were on the boat. 

“It’s my money and my move, so Liam can feel however he likes,” Dr Jhandir said, rather flippantly, if he was honest with himself. “I always travel first-class, and there’s no reason my companion shouldn’t travel with me.” He did take note of the instructions from the clerk, taking the tickets and slipping them into the inner pocket of his coat. “I don’t see why he should care so much either way.”

“He--” Andrew cut himself off, waiting until they left the office before continuing. “He’s my brother. The pack stays together. We’re blood, and more than blood.” He sighed, hunching his shoulders under his coat. “It’s hard to explain, the pack bond. Liam’s the Alpha. His mood affects us all.”

“I understand all that,” Dr Jhandir said, waving his hand, though he was still not sure he’d really absorbed the emotional aspects of it. “But you are all travelling together. We’ll all be on the same ship, even if we are in different classes.” After a moment, and in a moment of semi-generosity and an attempt to be understanding, he added, “But if it would help, I can exchange your ticket for steerage. But I will not travel to another country in anything other than first class.”

Andrew’s face lightened. “Would you? I mean, I’d never ask you to travel steerage, but my ticket… and we’ll have plenty of time together once we get to Ireland. I get seasick anyhow. Probably spend most of the trip in my bunk, no company at all.” 

Dr Jhandir sighed, but nodded. He’d meant the offer sincerely--he just hadn’t actually expected Andrew to take him up on it. “Wait here,” he said, returning briefly to the office and managing, with just a  _ little _ bit of arguing, to change Andrew’s ticket before returning. He supposed he would have to get used to Liam taking some of Andrew’s time from him at some point, but he’d been putting that out of his mind while he had the excuses of packing and arguing. “There, now you’ll be below with the rest of them. I suppose Liam will have to find something else to complain about.”

Andrew grinned. “Oh, he will, bet your life on it.” He sobered for a moment. “Thanks, Doc. Really. I know it’s been hard.” Liam expected nothing from others that he didn’t expect from himself, but when himself was Liam O’Rourke, that was still unreasonable. “So now that we’ve got that done, I think I need a drink. You know we make damn good whiskey in Ireland too,” he added, the grin returning.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind a bit more time to ourselves,” Dr Jhandir confessed, as the two of them headed off in the direction of one of the few places both the doctor and Andrew were comfortable spending time together in. It had been surprisingly difficult to find those, and Dr Jhandir simply had to hope that the options in Ireland would provide at least one space outside his own home that would meet both of their rather disparate standards.

Andrew was finding it difficult to keep his pace slow enough to match the doctor’s. Returning to Ireland was a reality now, and he hadn’t realized how much he missed it. “Doc? I know I’ve been talking a lot. Do you have some questions for me? About Ireland, I mean? Or what Liam’s about?” Not that questions of the latter vein were best answered on the street, but hopefully it would be an olive branch between the two of them. People in their line of work were always getting hurt. Maybe the doc could find his own place in the cause.

“I’d certainly like to know more about your...your pack’s situation,” Dr Jhandir said, phrasing somewhere between careful and awkward. “Though perhaps first you could flesh out my ideas of where I’ll be living. How are the people there? I’m assuming my own appearance will be a bit out of the norm, but will that be an issue?”

“Oh, well…” Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll say you’re the first man from India that I’ve ever gotten acquainted with. There’s not many others around that I know about. I...think that you’ll be all right for the most part though. We--the pack--have a bit of a farm on the outskirts of Dublin, and the people who know us won’t give you any trouble. They’ll vouch for you, especially if you want to keep doctoring. It’s hard to find someone to see a poor Irish family.”  _ It won’t hurt Liam’s opinion of you either _ , he didn’t add.

“You can find a house either out near us, or in the city itself. I suppose you’ll need some kind of surgery attached, and I don’t know much about that, but if you need work done, we know plenty of men.” He grinned, looking for a moment much younger than his mortal and immortal years.

That grin softened the doctor, even if he pretended it didn’t, clearing his throat a little. “I don’t intend to give up my practice,” Dr Jhandir said. “Luckily, I set up my surgery in London as well, so I already know what I’ll need, in general. And I don’t intend to set up too far from your pack. I’m not moving just for my health and I don’t fancy having to travel just to see you.”

“‘Course not. And you won’t. I thought it would be me coming to see you most of the time anyway, so if you’d rather be in town, it still wouldn’t be more than a few miles. I will be glad to get back to more open spaces, to be sure! A man can’t stretch his legs in this town.” Andrew held the pub door open for the doctor, allowing him to enter first. “Running looks suspicious, and there’s always someone awake and watching.”

“That’s certainly true,” Dr Jhandir said, stepping through into the pub and finding the two of them a reasonably secluded table so they could talk a bit more freely as they relaxed away from the rest of the pack. “I imagine regardless of where I settle, I’ll still be seeing a fair amount of your brother.”

“Well, he is my brother. Can’t really avoid that.” Andrew stretched back in the chair, sipping at his drink. “He might settle down once we’re all back home. ‘M not saying that he’s controlling, but he… does feel better once he feels like he’s got a better handle on things.”

“Don’t we all,” Dr Jhandir murmured. “I am sure we’ll find some way to deal with one another that won’t cause too much stress.” Not that they had yet, but it didn’t pay to be pessimistic at this point. “Is it really just the four of you in the pack? Does your pack have clavigers?”

“Clavigers is the English word, aye. There’s a good few of them too, nationalists all. Goes along with the territory with Liam. But it’s just the four of us. There were more of us, but that was before the ‘98.” Andrew took a long drink, eyes suddenly dark.

Dr Jhandir hummed, nodding and remaining, for a moment, politely quiet. “You know my sympathies as well,” he said. “But I’ve spent a long time in English society--do you think my accent will be an issue?”

Andrew shrugged. “You’re still different, not an Englishman. And the Fitzwilliams were all educated in England, too. Not that they’re clavigers, but they’re nationalist sympathizers, friends of Liam. If you’re good enough for us, then you’ll be good enough for them.” He leaned toward the doctor, propping his elbows on the table. “I know you’re worried, Doc. You’re leaving the home you’ve made here because of me, and… nobody’s ever done something like that for me before. For Liam, for Ireland, sure, but not me.”

“I’ve moved countries before,” Dr Jhandir said, downplaying things, certainly, though he doubted the difference between Ireland and England would be greater than the difference between England and India. “And you know how I feel.” He’d also not gotten much better at expressions of emotional intimacy, but even mentioning it was a positive step. “Besides, comparing what I could do if I stayed against going with you...it was hardly even a choice.”

Andrew beamed, knowing this admission was a great step for the doctor. “Thanks, Doc.”

A clock struck the hour, piercing dully through the smoke and conversation in the pub. Andrew swore. “Is it that late? Damn, Liam will be wondering where we are.” He sighed. “Suppose we’d best head back.”

“He keeps you on a rather tight leash,” Dr Jhandir said, and even though he regretted the phrasing a little. But he got up and left money for their drinks, not actually trying to push Liam any further than he already had. “We’ll take a hansom back, it won’t take long.”

Andrew let out a bark of laughter. “Aye well. That’s our Liam.”

The two men flagged down a hansom and the doctor gave his address. Andrew relaxed back against the seat and sighed. “I’ve got more clothes to pack up now, thanks to you. Brown suit, grey suit, brown waistcoat, green waistcoat…” He ticked the items off on his fingers as he went.

Dr Jhandir shook his head with an expression of fond exasperation. “A far more useful set of clothes,” he said. “And a perfectly reasonable amount. Besides, they all suit you.”

Andrew scoffed. “Says you, anyhow.” He smiled crookedly. “My old clothes were plenty useful for what I had to be doing. Before I met you, anyhow. Now I’m going to gentlemen’s clubs and eating curry and drinking whiskey that costs more’n I made in a week.”

“Surely that can’t be a complaint,” Dr Jhandir said. “Though I suppose our social engagements will be a bit different once we’re in Ireland.”

“Faith no, I’ll miss the curry!” Andrew laughed. “But aye, there’s not so much to do even in Dublin as in London. I don’t know so much about the state of gentlemen’s clubs in Dublin, but if you need someone to… recommend you, or introduce you, or whatever the hell you need, we do know a few people.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Dr Jhandir murmured, half to himself, as the hansom pulled up in front of his house. He paid the driver and got out with only the barest hesitation. He straightened his shoulders, not that he ever really slouched, pulling himself up to make his best re-entrance in case anyone was in the foyer to see him when they walked in.


End file.
